The objective of this research is to characterize the mechanisms of inorganic reactions in biological processes by the use of fast reaction techniques. The dynamics of ion transport through membranes will be studied by pressure- and voltage-jump techniques. Systems include gramicidin A and alamecithin channels with Tl ion and other metal ions. The kinetics of ions interacting with channel formers in vesicles will be carried out separately, using ultra-sonics and other relaxation techniques. The gramicidin A-Tl ion system will be studied initially in phosphatidylcholine vesicles. The molecular mechanism of vanadate uptake by heart, fat and kidney cells will be investigated. Kinetics studies will be carried out to determine the rates of elementary reactions partaking in the more complex proposed studies summarized above. These projects include ligand-metal ion interactions, chelation of oxoanions, oxidation-reduction reactions connected with autocatalysis. The studies of reactions incorporating autocatalytic steps will involve computer simulation as a method for determining rate constants when direct methods have not been applied with success.